Being the president of a private club can be very rewarding or very frustrating, or more likely both. In some cases it can also be thankless. Most people who step forward to take up the president’s gavel don’t do so for a pat on the back, they do so because they want to give back to the club that has enriched their lives by doing something good for their club. However, doing “good” well, requires more than just good intentions, it requires knowledge and tools. Here are a few tips that will help you help your board and your club to achieve all they can.
1. Develop and rigorously maintain an excellent two-way communication plan. A great deal of good can be accomplished by a governing board if they have the trust, respect and support of the membership and the employees. These can only be earned if communication is honest, transparent and frequent.
2. Treat the board meetings with the same respect and reverence that you would if it were a meeting of the board of the local hospital, a university or a Fortune 500 company. The club you belong to was formed for social and recreational purposes, the board was not.
3. Practice effective delegation. First, determine what decisions the board has to make—those that cannot be delegated. Second, delegate all the rest because your hands will be full with the big issues. Next, determine the best people to whom to delegate each issue, articulate the responsibilities, and clearly define and communicate the level of authority they have to accomplish their responsibilities. Finally, demand regular reporting and hold the responsible parties accountable.
4. Plan strategically. This is the single most important role of the board and it is one of the things that you cannot delegate. Identify, articulate and document where the club needs to be in 5, 10, and 20 years and develop goals that serve that strategic vision. If the majority of the board’s time isn’t spent dealing with strategic issues, you probably aren’t dealing with the right issues.
5. Document your governance system. This is another one of those things that the board cannot delegate. Create a document clearly identifying the roles and responsibilities of each of the players in your governance system. As in golf, if we don’t have documented rules, all the players will make up their own. Think of your governance document as a combination of a new car owner’s manual and a state driver’s manual: it should tell everyone how the machine operates and the rules of the road. Following that same metaphor, your strategic plan is like your navigation system: it identifies where you are going and how you are going to get there.
6. Develop and adhere to meeting rules. Robert’s Rules of Order were written for very large and complex organizations. They are generally too unwieldy for the typical club board to employ and are unnecessarily complex for that application. However, a format should be established that is well thought out and serves the board and the club well, both operationally and legally. Don’t just rely on tradition.
7. Be aware of the board’s legal duties: duty of care, duty of loyalty, duty of obedience, and confidentiality. It might be helpful to have an attorney review these legal duties with the board on an annual basis.
8. Develop a code of ethics and ask each governance participant to commit to it and sign it.
9. The president serves the board by making certain that the board remains on task and focused on strategic issues and governance. The president has only one vote and should avoid using the bully pulpit. Manage, but don’t try to manipulate, the decision-making process.
10. Become aware of the resources available to you and your club. The National Club Association and the trade associations that your club’s professionals belong to exist to help their members and the clubs they serve thrive. Asking the right people the right questions can help you and your club to be successful in meeting all of your challenges.
This list is certainly not exhaustive, but it can provide you with some tools to help you move your club’s board and your club in positive directions: to do “good” well.
John R. Kinner, CCM, is general manager of Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, N.J.